They'll do anything to save their son's life…
Even work together.
Their marriage is nearly over. But then Deputy US Marshal
Allison Chen-Boyd and FBI hostage negotiator Henry Boyd learn their
eight-year-old son has been kidnapped. They'll work together -- temporarily, of
course -- to capture the dangerous cartel hell-bent on vengeance. But as danger
mounts and bombs lurk around every corner, they'll have to learn to trust each
other again to save their embattled family.
Good book that sucked me in from the beginning and kept
me hooked to the last page. As part of the joint task force working to stop a
drug cartel, both Allison and Henry appeared in earlier books in the series. Even
then, the tension between them is evident, and here we have their story. As
this book opens, Allie and Henry have been separated for six months and are in
the middle of a contentious divorce. When their eight-year-old son is kidnapped,
they must put aside their differences and work together to get him back.
Allison is a deputy US Marshal who played a big part in
separating the cartel leader from his daughter, and he vowed revenge. He
demands the impossible, and Allie and Henry must find a way to save Ben. The
suspense and action took place over just a few days, keeping the intensity high
throughout. Not only did we get the good guys' point of view, but the villains
also received enough page time to maintain the tension as the reader sees their
plans. As Allie and Henry run into obstacles thrown up by their own side
(especially Allie's - I really do not like her boss!), they realize their best
bet is to depend on each other. Some of the chances they took risked everything
but paid off in the end. Henry's coworkers seemed much more reasonable and provided
critical help in finding Ben. Their methods fascinated me, and I loved seeing
the process. The final confrontation with the kidnappers was a nail-biter, with
an unexpected twist in the resolution. I liked the lead-in to the next book.
I enjoyed seeing Allie and Henry find their way past the
issues that drove them apart. Miscommunications, misunderstandings, and
misconceptions created conflict that they could have resolved if they'd swallowed
their pride and talked to each other. Henry's inability to express his emotions
about a tragic event in their past led to Allie thinking he didn't care. Add in
a coworker of Henry's that ran up against Allie's insecurities, and you have a
recipe for misery. Henry doesn't want a divorce. He loves his wife and son and
will do whatever is necessary to make them happy. Allie still loves Henry, but
her trust took a hit. As they put aside their differences to save Ben, they
also began to talk about what went wrong. I liked that both of them admitted
fault rather than one taking all of the blame. As they let go of their past
hurts, the love they shared had a chance to resurface. Some great scenes showed
them at their professional best, made possible by their rekindled trust. The
ending was terrific as they found a compromise that worked for both of them.
The secondary characters were well done also. The cartel
leader continues to show his ruthless side and makes it easy to root for his
downfall. The kidnappers were more than cookie-cutter villains and had well-developed
characters. I especially ached for Lourdes, torn between her love for her
brother and her horror of his actions. I liked how she cared for Ben. She
earned major points for her actions at the end. Her brother, Javier, was a
scary guy from the get-go, with only his love for his sister giving him any
humanity. I still don't like Allie's boss, who I find obnoxiously
self-centered, more concerned with his advancement than being an effective
leader. I liked Henry's boss and coworkers and seeing them go all-out to help
one of their own. My favorite was Ben. He was a quick thinker for a kid and
showed it early on. Thanks to his memory and observation skills, he also played
a big part in the lead-in to the next book. 
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